Herbert F. DeSimone, 84, former Assistant Secretary of Transportation for the Environment and Urban System for President Nixon and former Attorney General for the State of Rhode Island, died on Wednesday, November 27, at Cedar Crest Nursing Home.
Mr. DeSimone was born in Providence, the only child of Florie DeSimone and Lena (Capuano) DeSimone, and married to Sally Reynolds De Simone for 58 years. Mr. DeSimone graduated from La Salle Academy and Brown University. He was a star defensive tackle for two of Rhode Island’s most successful football teams; the 1945 LaSalle Maroon Juggernaut team that tied Holy Cross New Orleans in the National Catholic HS championship game and the 1949 Brown team that was inducted into the Brown University Hall of Fame.
Mr. De Simone graduated from Columbia University Law School in 1954 and was admitted to the RI Bar Association that same year. In addition to his service as Attorney General and Asst. Secretary of Transportation, Mr. DeSimone was the Republican candidate for Governor twice.
In addition to maintaining a private law practice for over 50 years, Mr. DeSimone served his state in many capacities. He was the Director of the Providence Industrial Development Corporation, Director of the RI Department of Transportation, General Counsel for the Rhode Island Housing and Finance Corporation, General Counsel for the Narragansett Bay Commission, and served on the RI Parole Board.
Mr. DeSimone received many awards, including: the Neil J. Houston Award for contributions to the Criminal Justice Systems and Public Interest; Man of the year by Engineering News Record; and Man of the Year by the Italo-American Club of Rhode Island.
Herbert De Simone is survived by his wife, Sally Reynolds DeSimone; his children: Herbert and his wife Margaret of East Greenwich, Douglas and his wife Victoria of Narragansett and Deborah and her husband Mark of Manhattan and 7 grandchildren: Stephen, Laura, Nina, Peter and Thomas DeSimone and Mark and Katherine Segalla.
The DeSimone family would like to thank Susan Whipple and the staff of Cedar Crest Nursing Home for the wonderful care given to Herb. We would also like to thank the doctors and nurses of Kent County Hospital.
His funeral will be held Tuesday, December 3, 2013 at 8:30 a.m., from the MACERONI FUNERAL HOME, 1381 Smith St., North Providence, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in St. Sebastian Church, 67 Cole Ave., Providence. Visitation Monday 4-7 p.m. Burial will be in St. Francis Cemetery, Pawtucket. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to Alzheimer's Association of RI, 245 Waterman St. Suite 306, Providence, RI 02906.